Obama: I Understand Rage Over Enhanced Screening

President Barack Obama has asked security officials whether there's a less intrusive way to screen U.S. airline passengers than the pat-downs and body scans causing a holiday-season uproar.

For now, they've told him there isn't one, the president said Saturday in response to a question at the NATO summit in Lisbon.

"I understand people's frustrations," Obama said, while acknowledging that he's never had to undergo the stepped-up screening methods.

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Passengers at some U.S. airports must pass through full-body scanners that produce a virtually naked image. If travelers refuse, they can be forced to undergo time-consuming fingertip examinations, including of clothed genital areas and breasts, by inspectors of the same sex as the passenger.

Obama said he's told the U.S. Transportation Security Administration: "You have to constantly refine and measure whether what we're doing is the only way to assure the American people's safety. And you also have to think through, are there ways of doing it that are less intrusive."

At this point, that agency and counterterrorism exports have told him that the current procedures are the only ones that they think can effectively guard against threats such as last year's attempted Christmas-day bombing. A Nigerian man is accused of trying to set off a bomb hidden in his underwear aboard a flight from Amsterdam with nearly 300 people aboard.

Obama said that in weekly meetings with his counterterrorism team, "I'm constantly asking them whether is what we're doing absolutely necessary, have we thought it through, are there other ways of accomplishing it that meet the same objectives."

For now it sounds like there aren't, and travelers will face potential pat-downs and scans.

"One of the most frustrating aspects of this fight against terrorism is that it has created a whole security apparatus around us that causes huge inconvenience for all of us," Obama said.

The new scans show naked images of the passenger's body, without the face, to a screener who is in a different location and does not know the identity of the traveler. The U.S. has nearly 400 of the advanced imaging machines deployed at 70 airports, expanding to 1,000 machines next year. So not all airports have them and not all travelers are selected for scans.

The hands-on searches are used for passengers who don't want those scans or when something suspicious shows in screening, or on rare occasions, randomly.


More on TSA's New Screening Procedures:

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9/11 Daughter: Airport Screening Foes Foolish
TSA Body Scanners: Do They Even Work?
Senators and TSA Defend "Love Pats" at Airports
Outraged Bloggers Claiming TSA Sexual Assault
Religion Offers No Break on Airport Screening
Passenger Refuses Groin Check, Full Body Scan
Should John Tyner Worry about More Than His Junk?
Poll: 4 in 5 Support Full-Body Airport Scanners
Naked Body Scan Images Never Saved, TSA Says
Poll: Do New TSA Airport Screens Go Too Far?

[ekucrew]

If the TSA pulls a Muslim woman aside for a pat down do they make the woman remove her hijab and check her hair?

[Empire--George--]

Of course not.....You may not see one hair, their hair is "special"....matter of fact, their bodies are so special and better than Americans, that nobody can see one inch for fear of ....................? who knows...stink ?

[Empire--George--]

If he understands, then do something, Mr. Inept.....instead he's got time for beer summits over something that is none of his business, yet because of HIS policies of being afraid to offend muslims, now every American must be treated like a terrorist.......equality for the terrorists.

[dieselpop1]

If Obama understands everything then why bdoesn't he change tactics?

[mecury69]

"...agency and counter terrorism exports have told him that the current procedures are the only ones that they think can effectively guard against threats such as last year's attempted Christmas-day bombing."

Guess what? THEY ARE NOT GOING TO TRY THE SAME THING AGAIN! They always come up with a new way.

So, this is proof this system is a waste of money. They are admitting it's for a PAST threat and not a future one.

[oldbasicgal]

Even though I make jokes about the screening and the pat downs, I dispair that this is what America has come to. In order NOT to make a few people uncomfortable or "stand out" in a crowd, TSA, allowed by our government, has chosen to make the whole flying population uncomfortable or "stand out", even ones with disabilities. This is not the American way. Where is the respect our citizens? This action is equalivant to putting all domestic cats in cages because tigers are in the same family and tigers are dangerous. It is outrageous.

Profiling everyone as a potential terrorist is not better than profiling a few who look like potential terrorists. Profiling the few might, and probably does, show prejudices, but profiling everyone as a potential terrorist shows prejudices to ALL the flying population. It doesn't make sense to profile a greater number and subject them to prejudice as a terrorist when a smaller number could be profiled and prejudiced as with less costs and greater advantages.

One way we could avoid this is to provide "Airport Security Cards" with picture ID. Applications could be taken, and very low security folks (children, elderly, etc.) could be given cards almost immediately. Higher risk folks could be screened further - how long have you lived in the U.S. in your current location. Provide proof. Were you born in America? Provide proof. Have you ever been arrested? etc. A security check could be run on the information provided, and cards issued accordingly. Only "no risks" folks should be given the Security Cards, but how many of these people would check out as "no risks"? Probably 95% of flyers could be eliminated from ALL security checks.

[Empire--George--]

He asked Security Officials for Less Intrusive Way to Screen U.S. Airline Passengers

Yeah, stop being afraid of offending muslims, and stop trying to make a terrorist out of every American, because you and your administration absolutely refuse to even utter the word "radical islam".......that's the "less intrusive" way....stop being politically correct, at our expense, so you can be "loved" by muslim countries.

[dinkydog1]

Thank God this country still has those who will still stand and protest to preserve or dignity and freedoms we have left.

[endurorob_5]

Get over it people. It is just a little pat down. Not a big deal.

[Empire--George--]

hands in pants and boob grabs are a big deal, sorry but I disagree.....now WE are the terrorists ? because this adminstration can't identify or is unwilling to identify who the real enemy is, so WE are now the terrorists ? I think it's a huge deal, not the actual screening, but the reason why.

[oldbasicgal]

Aw, come on guys! Just bend over a little, grab your cheeks and give them a show. What's the harm? We're all alike. As long as my name isn't on the picture, I don't care. Most of this "rage" is put on anyway.

More important question: Doesn't anyone mind that the two turkeys that were sent to the White House for Obama to pardon were BOTH WHITE?

[wfw3536]

If you have traveled by air recently you would understand why folks are so upset. They keep bring up the underwear bomber, well I do not believe one of these machines or pat downs would find anything if they were hidden inside the body.